The legal representative for a student accused of the murder of Sandton teacher Kirsten Kluyts, confirmed that the phone as stated in a police statement, belongs to his client. Mahungela appeared at the Alexandra Magistrates Court today after he re-applied for bail based on new facts.

MURDER WEAPON UNKOWN

Referring to the docket, Mahungela’s defence advocate Itumeleng Masako emphasised that the instrument used to commit Kluyts murder is still unknown. He said items that were found on Mahungela upon his arrest was a bag with a Sergio fochini hat. "I want to emphasise that it’s not a kangaroo hat, at a later stage I will explain this. My client was wearing that hat, as well as takkies in black and white. He was also in possession of a black iPhone which was confiscated from him, and I want to confirm that the phone belonged to him.?

PRETRIAL

The matter was postponed to the 16th of August for pretrial conference. Johannesburg high court for a pretrial conference on August 16. Mahungela is charged with kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder, attempted rape and defeating the ends of justice. The case relates to the discovery of 34-year-old Kluyts’ body at the George Lea recreational park in Parkmore, Sandton, on October 29 2023. Kluyts is said to have been pregnant at the tone of her death. Meanwhile Mahungela was arrested on 26 November 2023 at a student accommodation he resuded in after a photo of him wearing a T-shirt belonging to the late teacher surfaced. He told claimed that he wore the teacher’s shirt because he didn’t want to leave his DNA at the scene of the incident after he had allegedly discovered the body.

Caption: Bafana Mahungela?s case has been transferred to the High Court for pretrial